[RPM] Learning the system

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by GarenLiLorian

Generous of your GM to let you save someone from Sarin gas with lesser effects!

My account was a bit compressed. What we saw was:

Two guys talking. One walks over to a small wooden building, unlocks the door and starts to open it. A humanoid figure springs out, bears him to the ground, and starts ripping his throat out. There's a small explosion in the building, and hissing and bubbling noises.

The other guy runs towards this, and falls over twitching and vomiting. By this time we were thinking of gas, and a PC advanced, holding his breath, but was affected anyway. Being quite tough, he was able to retreat, but was clearly in need of drastic help.

The magic was: Lesser Sense Matter with range to get some idea of what the gas was told me "semi-complex organic molecule, with phosphorus and fluorine." I used that for Lesser Destroy Matter with radius to turn it into some molecules that were much less poisonous, and avoid the other characters getting poisoned. The character is a high-school science teacher, feels that Greater effects should be required to transmute elements, and there didn't seem like time for a Greater working.

As a player, I'd recognised the symptoms of nerve gas poisoning, from a WWII CoC scenario run by the same GM, but the character hadn't had a chance to just yet. However, she then got to make a Diagnosis roll and catch up. That meant that after a quick energy refill, I could do the Lesser Strengthen Body to make the victim immune to that substance, after which we retreated a hundred yards or so to consider what to do next.

[Christopher R. Rice]

If you're going for a MtA feel check out Pyramid 66 - in it I created a framework for using realms in RPM on p. 12.

[johndallman]

I'm trying to figure out how to do something like D&D Clairvoyance: designate a position, and be able to see as if from there. I thought I had found a way to do it with just Crossroads, but I can't find it the rule now, and I may well have been mistaken.

So I looked at Magic and the Magic to RPM conversion, and that gives me some examples, but I don't quite follow the logic:

Wizard Eye: Lesser Control Matter (5) + Lesser Create Crossroads (6) + Lesser Create Matter (6) + Lesser Sense Crossroads (2) + Duration, 10 minutes (1) + Speed, 10 yds/second (4).*24 energy (24×1)

The calculation is perfectly clear. Create Matter is clearly for the eye itself, and Control Matter for moving it around.

However, I don't see what part Crossroads is playing here, because Crossroads seems to be all about gates and weak spots, from the description on p. 9 of Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic. Can anyone explain a bit?

Thanks in advance.

[Shostak]

Originally Posted by johndallman

However, I don't see what part Crossroads is playing here, because Crossroads seems to be all about gates and weak spots, from the description on p. 9 of Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic. Can anyone explain a bit?

Perhaps Sense Crossroads is meant to allow the gate created to "enter into communication" with the other side?

It might be worth considering Sense Energy instead of creating an eye. Use Sense Crossroads to find the person/place you want to spy on, then Sense Energy (sound or light or both) through the gate.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by johndallman

I'm trying to figure out how to do something like D&D Clairvoyance: designate a position, and be able to see as if from there. I thought I had found a way to do it with just Crossroads, but I can't find it the rule now, and I may well have been mistaken.

So I looked at Magic and the Magic to RPM conversion, and that gives me some examples, but I don't quite follow the logic:

Wizard Eye: Lesser Control Matter (5) + Lesser Create Crossroads (6) + Lesser Create Matter (6) + Lesser Sense Crossroads (2) + Duration, 10 minutes (1) + Speed, 10 yds/second (4).*24 energy (24×1)

The calculation is perfectly clear. Create Matter is clearly for the eye itself, and Control Matter for moving it around.

However, I don't see what part Crossroads is playing here, because Crossroads seems to be all about gates and weak spots, from the description on p. 9 of Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic. Can anyone explain a bit?

Thanks in advance.

Crossroads is basically creating a small gate you can see through in the area. And that's one way to do it.

Another way would be to use Path of Mind to link your senses to a specific area far away. That would be a Control Mind effect. Possibly a Greater effect.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

Crossroads is basically creating a small gate you can see through in the area. And that's one way to do it.

The difficulty with that reasoning is this line:

Originally Posted by Thaumatology:RPM p. 9

Lesser Crossroads effects can only target existing gates or weak points in reality

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

Another way would be to use Path of Mind to link your senses to a specific area far away. That would be a Control Mind effect. Possibly a Greater effect.

Control Mind seems to be all about the functioning and control of minds, and does not mention senses.

Originally Posted by Shostak

It might be worth considering Sense Energy instead of creating an eye. Use Sense Crossroads to find the person/place you want to spy on, then Sense Energy (sound or light or both) through the gate.

So far, Sense Body has made more sense to find people (see above about Crossroads), but that won't work for a place. Sense Energy as you describe makes sense.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by johndallman

The difficulty with that reasoning is this line:

THe book can't hold everything. This is how I'd do it. You're effectively linking two points together. It's like a gate, but less potent. You can't go through it - that's a Greater effect, thus scrying would be a lesser effect. Of course this is for ONE viewpoint. If you want to be able to move the view around it's a Greater effect.

Originally Posted by johndallman

Control Mind seems to be all about the functioning and control of minds, and does not mention senses.

You're basically "casting out" your consciousness and that would require a Control effect. A case might be made for Transform, but I wouldn't use that.

[AlexanderHowl]

I honestly think that a Greater Create Crossroads with Lesser Control Crossroads to make a mobile gateway that only allows light and sound through (~60 energy) would be mechanically simpler.

[Shostak]

Originally Posted by johndallman

So far, Sense Body has made more sense to find people (see above about Crossroads), but that won't work for a place. Sense Energy as you describe makes sense.

Using Sense Crossroads to find or communicate with someone on the other side is explicitly mentioned as a use of the Path of Crossroads on RPM p.9. An argument could be made that finding a place instead of a person should be permissible. But it really is up to you and the GM to determine how to do it.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

I honestly think that a Greater Create Crossroads with Lesser Control Crossroads to make a mobile gateway that only allows light and sound through (~60 energy) would be mechanically simpler.

You almost never want to grant advantages like this. In Pyramid #3/114:Mind Over Magic (p. 7) I go into the why of it. Needless to say, it causes hiccups in the system you'll want to avoid.

Originally Posted by Shostak

Using Sense Crossroads to find or communicate with someone on the other side is explicitly mentioned as a use of the Path of Crossroads on RPM p.9. An argument could be made that finding a place instead of a person should be permissible. But it really is up to you and the GM to determine how to do it.

On the other side of a dimension. Not in your current one. That's why I said using Lesser Create Crossroads would let you create a small one way gate that only allows information to cross - not people or things.